Firework Cookies

I saw these on the cover of Martha Stewart Living last July and vowed to make them, but as usual time ran away too quickly and the 4th came and went before I could make them. I’ve been keeping them in mind ever since and was happy to have remembered to make them this year! I like them because they look cool but they’re really simple… I made these in just a couple of hours this morning. They’re great to bring to a party or picnic to help celebrate the Fourth of July! To make these even easier, swap in pre-made sugar cookie mix instead of making your own dough from scratch!

If you have the time, make your own sugar cookie dough. I always use my great-grandmother’s recipe! Roll out and cut shapes that resemble fireworks… I used stars, scalloped circles and triangle-edged circles for mine. I baked them at 350 for about 8 minutes and let them cool on a wire rack for about a half hour.

Make “7 minute icing” by combining 4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar, 5 tbsp meringue powder and a scant 1/2 cup of water in the bowl of an electric mixer and beating it for seven minutes. Fill one candy melting bottle with the plain white icing. Tint half of what’s left with a royal blue gel food coloring and tint the other with a red gel food coloring. Pour into bottles.

Flood the cookie with the white icing first. Draw a bullseye alternating the red and blue icing next. Take a tooth pick and, starting from the center, drag it towards the edge of the cookie. Repeat all the way around and your “firework” is done!

To get a variety of fireworks try these ideas: use the red or blue as the main color, only use one color for the bulls eyes, start dragging on the outside of the fireworks and meet in the middle or draw straight lines instead of bull eyes then swirl the toothpick around in circles!